How much did things cost in 1972?
These are prices of some sample items in 1972.
How much were these prices for someone on an average income in 1972? To get a feel for this, I have adjusted them for the increase in incomes from 1972 to today. You can see these adjusted prices in the column 'Income adjusted'.
| 1972 price | Income adjusted | |
|---|---|---|
| Sinclair Executive calculator | £79 | £2,000 |
| 22" Pye colour TV (Currys) | £239.00 | £6,100 |
| 24" Ferguson black & white TV (Currys) | £67.00 | £1,700 |
| Eurostyle 7/0334 traditional alarm clock (Yugoslavia) | £2.42 | £62 |
| Gallon of petrol | 35p | £8.90 |
| Ford Cortina car | £1,022.00 | £26,000 |
| Mini 850 | £695 | £18,000 |
| Fiat 500 | £650 | £17,000 |
| Bottle of whisky (Haig) | £2.52 | £64 |
| Bottle of sherry (Harvey's Bristol Cream) | £1.25 | £32 |
| Pint of beer (Courage Tavern) | 14-18p | £3.60-£4.60 |
| 20 cigarettes | 26½p | £6.80 |
| Zoppas refrigerator (made by Zanussi) (Currys) | £32.95 | £840 |
| Servis Supertwin washing machine (Currys) | £86.95 | £2,200 |
| Hoover Automatic Deluxe washing machine (Currys) | £105.00 | £2,700 |
| Russell Hobbs K2 (Timothy Whites) kettle | £7.95 | £200 |
| Kenwood Chef mixer (Timothy Whites) kettle | £31.25 | £800 |
| Pint of milk | 5p | £1.30 |
| White, 1¾lb wrapped and sliced loaf | 10p | £2.50 |
| ½lb St Ivel Golden Meadow butter (Tesco) | 11½p | £2.90 |
| Maxwell House 4oz coffee (Tesco) | 25p | £6.40 |
| Can of Coke (Co-op) | 6½p | £1.70 |
| Golden Wonder crisps | 3p | 77p |
| One dozen large white eggs | 22p | £5.60 |
| 1lb Stork margarine | 11½p | £2.90 |
| Average house price | £7,000.00 | £180,000 |
| The Daily Mirror newspaper | 3p | 77p |
| The Daily Express newspaper | 3p | 77p |
| Tracy's Tea Party (Timothy White) | £6.28 | £160 |
| Monopoly game (Tesco) | £1.35 | £34 |
| Tights (Woolworth's) | 15-29p | £3.80-£7.40 |
| Men's socks (Woolworth's) | 25p | £6.40 |
| Children's socks (Woolworth's) | 15-25p | £3.80-£6.40 |
| Drip-dry nylon shirts (Woolworth's) | £1.25 | £32 |
| Men's suit made to measure from Burton | £19.50 | £500 |
| Men's showerproof topcoat (Burton) | £17.50 | £450 |
| Men's paisley patterned polyester/cotton shirt (C&A) | £1.65 | £42 |
| Women's trouser suit with spotted cravat (C&A) | £8.95 | £230 |
| Dresses (Richard Shops) | £5.45 | £140 |
| Raleigh Chopper | £35.60 | £910 |
The income adjusted prices are based on the Bank of England's Three Centuries Macroeconomic Dataset Version 2.3 - 30 June 2016. I have updated the income figures based on the ONS: Series code KAB9, adjusted to bring the figures inline with the Bank of England's.
For a comparison of prices in 1972 adjusted for inflation see Infation adjusted prices for 1972
Read more:
How much did things cost in:
By Steven Braggs, updated May 2022
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